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Formula E Paris talking points as EIGHTH different winner in EIGHT races is crowned


Robin Frijns became the eighth different winner in eight Formula E races this season in a rain-soaked Paris. 

Large chunks of the race were ran under the yellow flag as cars failed to to keep control following a hailstorm. 

Felipe Massa was denied his first pole position since swapping codes from F1 after spinning 360 degrees while driving on a straight as he was placed third, before being clipped to take him out of the race. 

Race winner Frijns, who also takes the world championship lead, said: “That was the most difficult race of my career. 

“If you’re leading, the last thing you want is rain and everything was unpredictable.

“It was really difficult conditions. I’m just so happy to win this race.”

Andre Lotterer and Daniel Abt rounded off the podium.

Here are the key talking points from the race.

Flying Dutchman Frijns makes it eight from eight

Frijns leads Lotterer in the rain soaked Paris

Envision Virgin Racing’s Robin Frijns continued a remarkable streak became the eighth different winner – and eighth different nationality – in the eighth race of the most competitive and unpredictable season of Formula E ever.

Fittingly the Dutchman put in a royal performance to take his first Formula E victory on King’s Day in the Netherlands and described it as ‘the most difficult race of my career.’

The result means the Virgin team became the first to claim a second win of the season following Sam Bird’s victory in Santiago. Frijns now takes a one-point lead in the Driver’s Championship but will be looking over his shoulder.

The top four drivers are still within 11 points of each other and any of the top 10 could mathematically take the Championship lead next time out in Monaco on May 11.

Treacherous conditions cause chaos

Mortara crashes into Lynn during one of the major incidents of the race

Four-and-a-half seasons of dry conditions were swiftly ended as the weather bucketed down midway through the race – and the conditions made up for lost time with everything from rain to hail pummelling the drivers.

The intensity of the hailstorm which pummelled the drivers brought about a full-course yellow flag and Felipe Massa revealed afterwards that it had forced him to drive with his visor up due to the lack of visibility and slipped from third to seventh with a 360 spin during a straight.

And the slippery conditions turned turn 3 into a driver’s graveyard as Sam Bird and Jerome D’Ambrosio first collided into each other and then the wall before seconds Alex Sims was smashed into by Oliver Rowland to send him spinning out of the race.

Alex Lynn and Edoardo Mortara also crashed late on brought out the safety car right right at the end as Frijns won and referred to the race as ‘survival.’

Nearly man Lotterer the title favourite?

Lotterer is showing consistent form and could be in title contention

We are yet to see a German winner this season but André Lotterer has come mighty close with a certain win in Hong Kong ended by a puncture caused contact in the final lap and two second-placed finishes in a row after coming behind Mitch Evans in Rome and Frijns in Paris.

The veteran racer might be the nearly man in the races this year he looks a strong bet for the title thanks to a winning combination of consistency and a fast DS Techeetah car.

The German sits one point behind Frijns and admitted he was delighted to take second from starting sixth saying he had never experienced so little grip during a race in his life and that Formula E was ‘the hardest to drive’ of all the competitions.

Nissan nightmare

Rowland had a day to forget after it looked like it was going to start so brightly

Things were looking rosy for the Nissan e.dams team after a qualifying disqualification for Pascal Wehrlein put Rowland on his second pole of the season – the first driver to do this – and teammate Sebastien Buemi in second.

The British driver led for just three minutes before locking up into the wall with Buemi passing him. The Swiss led for a further 10 minutes before being forced into the pits with a puncture to push him to the back as well.

Rowland was all over the place crashing into other drivers and sliding on the wet conditions for the rest of the race as a nightmare day for Nissan ended with Rowland and Buemi finishing in 12th and 15th place respectively.

Paris welcomes the next generation

Formula E was birthed in Paris as CEO and Founder Alejandro Agag wrote out his vision on a napkin during a dinner with FIA President Jean Todt in the city which welcomed the Championship for the fourth time.

How much Formula E has grown since that dinner was on full display as fans were treated to seeing the faster, slicker Gen2 car race around Les Invalides.

Gen2 was not the only star in the City of Lights this weekend – actress Diane Kruger lit up the venue as the race guest, joining Formula E founder Alejandro Agag in a drive round the track prior to the race.





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